Book picks similar to
A Long Walk in Wintertime by Libby Purves


fiction
cheating
2nd-chance-at-love
marriage-problems

All We Never Knew


Elena Aitken - 2020
    On the cusp of her fortieth birthday and with her only child almost grown, it's time to start putting herself and her marriage first. But when the butterflies in her tummy turn out to be morning sickness, Maren’s world is flipped upside down with an unplanned, high risk pregnancy—one she's ashamed to admit is unwanted.Overnight, everything changes and the ripple effect of the baby she's so unsure of is felt in every corner of her life. Her perfect life slowly disappears. Her teenage daughter looks for attention in the wrong places. Her best friend inexplicably blows up and stops speaking to her. And worse, her once doting husband pulls away when she needs him the most.Just when she's sure things couldn't possibly be worse, a shocking discovery rocks Maren's world. Faced with a devastating deception, a truth she can no longer ignore, and an impossible choice, can Maren stop her life from completely unraveling? Or is All We Never Knew too much for love to overcome?

Twenty-One Trees


Linda Cousine - 2016
    Savannah May Holladay and her best friend from childhood, James “Birdy” Johnson, harbor many dark secrets. Birdy also has an undying love for Savannah that spans over two decades. Unfortunately for him, Savannah is a wealthy debutante engaged to the town’s most eligible bachelor—and Birdy is a truck driver. But after a nasty incident, Savannah wakes up in a hospital bed and can’t remember one thing about the past seven years—not her marriage to Birdy instead of her boyfriend, and especially not the birth of their four children. In what feels like an instant, she’s lost her perfect life and become an impoverished housewife. Savannah must struggle through her memory loss to recover some kind of love for her husband and children. Will Birdy’s unwavering devotion be enough to carry her through and bring back her lost years? Or could Birdy’s own secrets make matters even worse? Wealth, poverty, love, loss, and amnesia create a challenging road for Savannah May Holladay. Find out how she traverses these obstacles and unearths the hidden bonds with her childhood friend in Twenty-One Trees. Review "What would it be like to wake up and not remember the last seven years of your life? I can't even imagine! Not knowing my kids or my husband... Just thinking about it breaks my heart, especially because the last few years of my life have been the best. The love between Savannah and Birdy in this story is so sweet, even though they overcome seemingly impossible obstacles. The characters in Twenty-One Trees are so realistic. You will feel as if you know them personally and keep on turning pages just to find out what happens to them next. This is a love story like no other, in which true love conquers all. Another great novel by Linda Cousine!" -Ashley Emma, bestselling author of Fearless Author and Undercover Amish

The Song


Chris Fabry - 2014
    He wants to sing his own song, but the words and melody are elusive. Haunted by the scars inflicted by his broken family, Jed's dreams of a successful music career seem out of reach . . . until he meets Rose.As romance quickly blooms, Jed pens a new song and suddenly finds himself catapulted into stardom. But with this life of fame comes temptation, the same temptation that lured his father so many years ago.Set in the fertile mid-South, this quest for success leads Jed and Rose on a journey that will force them to deal with the pain of loss, failure, and the desire to be who God created them to be.Lyrical and deeply honest, "The Song" asks the hard questions of love and forgiveness. When even the wisest of men are fools in love, can true love persevere?

The Sinner's Guide to Confession


Phyllis Schieber - 2008
    As a widowed mother of three adult children, Barbara has no intention of revealing to anyone her persona as a celebrated writer of erotica. Kaye, in a stable but often joyless marriage, is having a clandestine affair that reawakens her passion even as it fills her with conflict. Ellen has lost her husband to a far younger woman, who is now pregnant with his child—a painful blow to Ellen since she and her husband were never able to conceive. But she is not childless…Ellen is still haunted by the memory of the baby girl she had at sixteen and was forced to relinquish. Estranged from her family, Ellen is reluctantly thrust back into contact with them after the death of her father, and she realizes that if she is ever to find her lost daughter—now a grown woman herself—she will have to confront her shame and rely on her dearest friends.

The Ingredients of Us


Jennifer Gold - 2019
    But when she discovers her husband’s infidelity, she doesn’t know what to make of it. Jam, maybe? Definitely jam.Fed up with the stale crumbs of her marriage, Elle revisits past recipes and the events that inspired them. A recipe for scones reminds her of her father’s death, cinnamon rolls signify the problematic courtship with her husband, and a batch of chocolate cookies casts Elle in a less-than-flattering light. Looking back, Elle soon realizes that some ingredients were missing all along.After confronting her husband, Elle indulges her sweet tooth in other ways, including a rebound that just leaves her more confused. As secrets from the past collide with the conflicts of the present, Elle struggles to manage her bakery business and maintain the relationships most important to her. In piecing her life back together, will Elle learn to take the bitter with the sweet?

Love Square


Jessica Ingro - 2013
    One look from him would make me melt. He was the one I always wanted to love me, but always seemed so far away. Now he stands before me and he's turning my world upside down. At one time I would have done anything to be close to him. But will that anything include betraying the man I pledged myself to and that loves me faithfully?Samantha Monroe had it all. Or at least everyone thought she did. A career on the rise, a gorgeous husband, great friends and a beautiful home. So why does she feel so alone and empty? When she reconnects with an old flame, lines are tested and compromises made in a quest for happiness.Jacob Matthews always wondered what happened to Sam Monroe. When fate brings them together after all these years, he can't help but wonder if its meant to be. But when he meets his perfect woman, there is no doubt in his mind she's his soul mate.Will the search for happiness cost them everything or will their love square show them what really matters?

Bright Midnight


Karina Halle - 2021
    It’s not that she doesn’t want to visit the land of the midnight sun—far from it; she’s obsessed with the culture and is dying to see the majestic fjords for herself.What she’s not dying to do is run into her Norwegian ex-boyfriend, Anders Johansson, who broke her heart in America eight years ago before returning to his ancestral home. The last time she saw Anders, he was a cocky, rebellious, and tortured teenager who couldn’t stop himself from pushing all of her buttons—both good and bad. But Shay isn’t going to let Anders stand in the way of her wanderlust, and besides, it’s a big country, right?She doesn’t count on Anders seeking her out the moment he learns she’s on his home turf. When Shay sees him again, she’s shocked at his transformation into a bearded, tattooed farmer and fisherman who values family over everything else. Is it possible that time has tamed this former bad boy? Shay wants to believe that everything can be new and bright again under the summer sun, but she knows, when it comes to Anders, the darkness is never too far behind.

Again, Alabama


Susan Sands - 2015
     Dragged back to her small town to help her mother recover from surgery while rescuing the family event planning business should be a cinch. Even for a disgraced television chef, right? Wrong. Among the many secrets Cammie’s family’s been hiding is the fact that their historic home is falling down. Oh, and the man hired to restore the house, Grey Harrison, is the same high school and college love of her life who thrashed her heart and dreams ten years ago. Yeah, that guy. Grey, a widower with a young daughter, has never stopped loving Cammie, and when they are face to face once again, the chemistry is off the charts. Cammie may be in full-blown denial, but letting go is no longer in Grey’s vocabulary, even when winning Cammie’s forgiveness and renovating their love may seem like an impossible build even for a master architect and carpenter. As Cammie finds herself forgetting all the reasons she can’t trust Grey or love again, he finds himself remembering all the reasons he wants her to stay with him in Alabama… forever.

Temptation Street


Shari Low - 2010
    What's a suspicious wife to do? Mel knows that her sweet, docile husband Joe would never, ever cheat. But when Suze, her sister-in-law, hires a honeytrap to test Karl, the results blow Mel's world apart.Is this the end of the road for both couples? Or is relationship misbehaviour much more fun when it's a two-way street?

Moral Infidelity


Rebecca Warner - 2014
    Pro-Life Florida Governor Michael Romano, who has built his political platform on morality, is determined to lead the nation in exploiting this first crack in Roe v Wade.But when his extramarital affair results in an unintended pregnancy, Romano is faced with the frightening prospect of losing all that defines his life--a beautiful, loving wife, a brilliant political career, and enormous wealth.Choice takes on a whole new meaning for the governor as he plumbs the depths of his conscience and weighs his ever-narrowing options. The choice he must make will test the strength of his moral fiber to its limits...but will it lead to his salvation, or his ruin?

His Lady Mistress


Elizabeth Rolls - 2004
    He doesn't recognize her as the daughter of a colonel under whom he used to serve, the girl he'd once helped years before. The life Verity's now living is untenable. So he proposes a shocking solution--he will set her up as his mistress.It's only once that Verity's finally agreed, once Max is beginning to lose his heart to her, that he discovers her true identity. Max is taken aback; he would never have suggested this lady become his mistress. Now, to avoid scandal, they'll have to marry!

The Cleaner


Kiersten Modglin - 2018
    An expert. His job is to clean up the messes no one else can. But behind that tough exterior, Gunner has a few secrets of his own. Eight years ago, Gunner left his hometown and vowed to never look back. When his past collides with his present in the form of a familiar face, Gunner must return home to take care of one final mess...the woman he left behind. Reagan Orrick knows heartbreak. Eight years ago, the love of her life disappeared without a trace or goodbye.In his absence, she has fought to build a life she can be proud of. When tragedy strikes, Reagan must go it alone or make a choice to trust the man who shattered her heart once again. Their secrets can save or destroy them...but only the truth will allow them to be cleaned.

With or Without You


Helen Warner - 2013
    Her gorgeous husband, Jamie, is happy being a stay-at-home-dad while she pursues her career. But appearances are often deceiving. One day, Martha makes a discovery that rocks the very foundation of her world and she begins to question everything she thought she wanted. Then, during an interview with a famous actor, Charlie Simmons, Martha finds herself pouring her heart out. And soon their friendship turns into an intense relationship… Now, Martha must make the toughest decision of her life. Does she fight to keep the life she loves? Or are some betrayals just too big to forgive? PRAISE FOR HELEN WARNER 'Four women, one wedding and unexpected results. Great good fun' Woman & Home 'The kind of book beach holidays were made for' Red

Between Husbands and Friends


Nancy Thayer - 1999
    In the years since, the two women and their husbands and children have become inseparable, spending every August together in a house on Nantucket. Lucy and Kate, each other's most trusted confidantes, have shared their secrets, from the mundane to the shocking--but there's one explosive secret that Lucy has kept to herself.As August once again approaches, Lucy must confront the truth she has kept hidden all these years. Now, in the midst of an unexpected family crisis, she must make a decision that could shatter all of their lives.A poignant and gripping novel about friendship, family, loyalty and deceit, Between Husbands and Friends will hold you spellbound as it lays bare the desire and complexity of the human heart.

PWNED: A Gamers Novel


Matt Vancil - 2014
     Reid is having a rough week. He's not sleeping well. He's just been saddled with an impossible project at work. And his girlfriend has disconnected her phone and left him for Fartherall Online. When Reid dives into the massively multiplayer pwn-or-be-pwned world of Fartherall Online, he's only got one quest in mind: to find and win back the love of his life. After all, it's just a game-how hard can it be? Written by Matt Vancil, creator of the Gamers movies, PWNED is the lost chapter of the Gamers movie franchise produced by Dead Gentlemen Productions and Zombie Orpheus Entertainment (The Gamers, The Gamers: Dorkness Rising, and The Gamers: Hands of Fate).